Triumphs of the Will

As Triumph TR prices lag behind Austin-Healeys, determined, well-advised collectors can find bargains

by Gary Anderson

The big news in British cars over the past ten years has been the rapid rise in prices for Austin-Healeys—from $25,000 to $75,000 for very nice cars, with a few magnificent ones bringing $100,000 plus.

By contrast, Triumphs—which offer much the same highway performance and creature comforts—couldn’t break out of the $7,500 to $15,000 range. Until this year.

In the past twelve months, most of the Triumph sales at auction have been in the $20,000 to $35,000 range.

Could it be, now that Austin-Healeys are no longer “affordable collector cars,” that Triumph prices are going to be sucked up by the vacuum created in the $25,000 to $50,000 range? Maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at the marque.

To start with, we’ll narrow our focus. The Triumph marque can be divided conveniently into four groups, three of which are not yet newsworthy....